Filmed at a working estate in Yorkshire, Max takes a closer look at the Contractor Flail Mower Collector, a machine that has become one of Ryetec’s best-selling models. The customer, Patrick, has been running the mower for a full year and shares his experience maintaining grassland, meadows, and rough paddocks throughout the seasons.

The featured machine is the 2.2-metre high-tip version, the largest in the Contractor range. The mower is available in widths from 1.2 metres up to 2.2 metres, offering options for everything from smaller tractors to large estate setups. This model features a heavy-duty PTO shaft, reinforced gearbox, and cross-shaft drive that transfers power to a five-belt pulley system, acting as a safety break if an obstacle is struck.

At the heart of the machine is Ryetec’s heavy-duty rotor fitted with 1.4-kilogram hammer flails, among the largest in their class. These flails are capable of cutting through vegetation up to 75 millimetres in diameter and are supported by optional heavy-duty bearing housings that absorb shock and protect the rotor assembly.

Patrick explains that the mower has become an essential part of his estate management routine. “We needed a machine that could cut grass very tight after a hay or silage crop,” he says. “The Contractor Flail Mower lets us remove every layer of material, which is vital for spreading green hay and restoring wildflower meadows. It reduces fertility, clears the surface, and gives new species room to grow.”

By removing cut material rather than mulching it back into the soil, the Contractor helps reduce nutrient build-up, creating the low-fertility conditions needed for wildflower regeneration. The high-tip collector makes it easy to offload into trailers, while the floating linkage and rear roller system ensure the mower follows ground contours accurately.

Max adds that this model’s design allows for a range of optional features, including front feeder plates for dense vegetation such as gorse and willow, volume reduction bars for finer chopping, and a cut-and-drop door to convert the mower into a standard flail. These options make the Contractor one of the most versatile machines in the Ryetec line-up.

Patrick’s feedback after twelve months is a strong endorsement of the mower’s build quality and practicality. “It’s removed brambles, gorse, and thistles with no problem,” he explains. “We’re avoiding sprays as much as possible, so repeated cutting and collecting has been an effective way to control weeds naturally. It’s reduced regrowth, tidied up rough fields, and worked perfectly even in areas cattle don’t graze.”

He adds that Ryetec’s after-sales support has been just as dependable as the machine itself: “The team’s been great to deal with, everything’s worked exactly as promised.”

For Ryetec, the Contractor range reflects the company’s ongoing focus on professional-grade engineering, field-tested reliability, and ease of maintenance. It’s a mower built not just for one season, but for years of demanding work across farms, estates, and local authority grounds.

Learn more about the Contractor Flail Mower Collector